Inspiration for a huge contemporary formal and enclosed medium tone wood floor living room remodel in San Francisco with gray walls, a two-sided fireplace and a plaster fireplace

Photo: Rachel Loewen © 2019 Houzz
Inspiration for a transitional medium tone wood floor and brown floor family room remodel in Chicago with white walls and a wall-mounted tv

Thomas Kuoh
Elegant dark wood floor mudroom photo in San Francisco with white walls and a glass front door

Elegant dark wood floor and brown floor mudroom photo in Chicago with blue walls

Example of a classic dark wood floor and brown floor family room design in Chicago with a bar, blue walls, a standard fireplace and no tv

Mudroom - large transitional mudroom idea in DC Metro with white walls

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

Eat-in kitchen - transitional medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in Denver with white walls, a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, light wood cabinets, solid surface countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Jeff Amram Photography www.jeffamram.com
Example of a classic bedroom design in Portland with gray walls

The floor beneath the street level has been built as a child’s retreat of sorts. There are four bedrooms linked in pairs by Jack and Jill bathrooms. This, plus twin study centers, an open play room and a small lounge—strategically tucked away from study and play areas—that’s rigged for gaming and TV-watching. On this floor, the vibe is light and airy, with white walls against light hued floors of engineered oak. “They have a great combination of tones, and are more durable than actual wood,” notes Lazar. There is also plenty of custom cabinetry, from desks and drawers to multiple-sized nooks for stowing away toys and books. Though positioned as a children’s floor, it doesn’t have to be. The floor, and the entire house, has been designed with enough blank slate so it can be stylistically recast as an owner sees fit. “Everything is very subtle very clean,” says Lazar. “Anyone can come in and use the space any way they choose.” Thoughtfully designed by Steve Lazar design+build by South Swell. designbuildbysouthswell.com Photography by Joel Silva.

Photo: Nanette Wong © 2014 Houzz
Small eclectic medium tone wood floor living room photo in San Francisco with a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace, white walls and no tv

Steve Lazar's newest project, a six-bedroom residence built on a hillside peak of 30th Street in Hermosa Beach for design+build by South Swell, is a study in the functional exploitation of lot size and surrounding beauty. That, and an evolution of the designer’s singular style. Modernist in its veins, the new home has the earmarks of a Lazar design inside and out. There’s a hint of lifeguard tower in its exterior, though more muted than visible in his past projects, mainly due to a ring of rusticated wood cladding swathed around its mid-section. Other signifiers are there, too, from a row of high-perched observation windows to a slightly raised metal hip roof of soft blue. Jutting out slightly over the home, its underside dressed in tidy shiplap, the roof contrasts smartly against the clean white stucco and earthy wood of the lower levels. In all, it’s still clean-cut Lazar, but more organic than sleek. “I use a lot of the same ideas,” says Lazar, standing outside the structure while craftsmen and workers buzz around, putting finishing touches on the place. “ “I have a signature vocabulary, but I adapt it with each custom home to meet a client’s needs and maximize the particulars of that space.” Thoughtfully designed by Steve Lazar design+build by South Swell. designbuildbysouthswell.com Photography by Joel Silva.

Minimalist l-shaped medium tone wood floor kitchen photo in Auckland with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, glass sheet backsplash and an island

Trendy kitchen photo in Auckland with flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash and mosaic tile backsplash

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern l-shaped medium tone wood floor kitchen remodel in Auckland with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white backsplash, glass sheet backsplash, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

Example of a trendy living room design in Auckland with a two-sided fireplace, a plaster fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Example of a small minimalist open concept concrete floor living room design in Auckland with white walls and no fireplace

When our clients approached us to renovate their 1950s Newfoundland home, their goal was to modernize while reflecting both their West Coast roots and current East Coast lifestyle. What began as a simple ensuite repair expanded into a full home transformation, completed in two thoughtfully phased renovations. Drawing from our cross-coastal experience—and a personal connection to the home’s past—we blended classic East Coast charm with West Coast simplicity. From reworking the layout and finishes to integrating their art collection and layering in warm, tactile materials, every detail was designed to feel cohesive, inviting, and deeply personal.

House Dressing by Lorraine Wilson
Example of a small trendy dark wood floor hallway design in Auckland